“On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him.
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”
He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
Acts 9:3-5 (NAB)
Paul was there when Stephen was stoned to death, but at the time, his name was Saul, and he was basically a first century terrorist leader, who led a frenzied campaign of hatred against the early church, dragging christians out of their homes and brutally murdering entire families. It sounds familiar today, but it all happened around AD 36, only a few years after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus.
Stephen was the first martyr of that early church. While he was being stoned to death, he saw a vision of the sky open up and Jesus appeared to him, standing at the right hand of God. After telling everyone what he saw, he asked forgiveness for his murderers and died.
It was about a year or two after Stephen’s death, that Saul was on his way to commit another mass arrest of christians, when he was suddenly thrown to the ground by a bright, blinding light. He became physically blind, but heard a voice asking him,
“Saul, Why are you persecuting Me?”
Saul asked, “Who are you?” and the voice answered, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
Saul never met Jesus, and Jesus never encountered Saul, while He was living, but Saul was a religious zealot who despised Christians and hunted them down, from place to place. Jesus made it clear that by persecuting Christians, Saul was personally persecuting Him.
When Stephen was being martyred, he saw Jesus “standing” at the right hand of God, not seated on the throne. There are many scriptures that foretell that the Messiah would be “seated” at the right hand of God, the Father. The Christian Nicene creed even reads that Jesus “ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.”
Jesus has indeed been seated on His throne in Heaven, at the right hand of His Father, but there are some things that cause Him to stand up. He was standing up, not seated, when Stephen saw Him, so perhaps Jesus stands when He sees the innocent being murdered.
There are so many things happening in the world today, that according to scripture, would make Jesus stand up. These are the causes mentioned throughout the scriptures, that draw attention from Heaven, as mentioned in Malachi 3:5:
Christians, living in certain nations, who are persecuted for their faith, the oppression of widows and orphans anywhere, all those living under oppressive regimes, who are deprived of human rights, the murder of innocent babies and children, and the mistreatment of aliens and strangers.
God so loved the world that He sent Jesus, who suffered for us all, yet most of the world considers the message of the cross as foolishness. Each time someone turns to the cross and receives the salvation of Jesus, I believe He stands up.
Jesus asked Saul why he was persecuting Him, and not long afterward, Saul repented and became a disciple of Christ, changing his name to Paul. He continued to hear the Lord’s voice, who stood up and inspired him to write thirteen books in the New Testament.
I can imagine Jesus standing up in Heaven today, at the right of God, hoping His church will be the beacon of His love that speaks His message of mercy, leading many others to repentance.
Lord, we believe you are standing in heaven today, filled with compassion for all who are suffering. Help us to shine your light and point others toward you. We pray for an end to the suffering of all innocents and for the conversion of all the blinded Sauls of this world; may they hear and receive you, and value all human life. Amen